Güero's Taco Bar, Austin

The salsa bar alone makes Güero's worth a visit, but you probably won’t make it much past the bar in this historic South Congress building and Güero’s ass-kicking margaritas. Skip the frozen—here or anywhere—and get top-shelf rocks instead; you'll get more bang for your liquor buck and imbibe fewer calories than the frozen mix. Order the Longhorn (splash of OJ), or the SoCoRita (Cazadores, Cointreau and fresh lime juice)—both are sublime. As for food, any enchilada plato with the fresca sauce (avocado and sour cream) is worth the extra mile around Lady Bird Lake. Vegetarians love the grilled veggie alambre (mixed veggies on a bed of rice); for meat lovers we recommend the tacos al pastor—marinated pork with chopped onions, cilantro and pineapple.